In This Review

Church and State in Fascist Italy

This scholarly and painstaking study of the relations of Church and State in Italy during the two decades of Fascist rule is one of the better books on modern Italy. The author, professor of legal history and jurisprudence in University College, Dublin, approaches his subject in an objective yet sympathetic manner. He shows clearly the complications created for the Church by the rise of Fascism and reviews the story of how the Vatican has sought to come to terms with Mussolini without sacrificing any of its essential principles -- an attempt almost inevitably doomed to ultimate failure. This book is published under the auspices of the Royal Institute of International Affairs.